little nothings

Posted on Posted in designing, lace/shawls, projects

lace is everywhere.
these ghostly leaf shadows left behind by wet, molding oak leaves are not only beautiful, but the kind of imprint my brain obsesses over when i think about lace scarves.

a little while back i was rattling on here about doing a series of “little nothings”—lace scarves that look as if they could be torn from the remaining good parts of a lace curtain or coverlet, with almost-raggedy edges, and knit in the lightest of fabrics.

sometimes these sorts of ideas vanish quickly and i never think about them again, but this one sticks, and actually, has been nagging at me. not only that, but forces from outside myself are feeding it. first, deb from fearless fibers wrote and suggested that a new yarn she is dying might be perfect for one.

it’s a beautiful alpaca laceweight that is really, really soft. and um, she just happens to have it in a colorway called green thumb, would i like to sample it?

hehehe. would i.
(the reverie color also tugged my heartstrings, but in the end, green thumb won out). if you love a fine laceweight, this is a beautiful example—it’s not cobweb, but it certainly is lightweight and will knit up into something positively gossamer.
it would be perfect for a sheer scarf.

and then, when we did our photoshoot for irtfa’a, and i did not have a turtleneck in off-white, i grabbed a little scarf at the last minute to wrap around my neck.

(really, i was just trying to hide the fact that i’d gotten mascara on my old cream wool undershirt)
and i couldn’t believe how many inquiries i received about that little nothing.

about six or seven years ago, when i still worked in a corporate office and commuted daily by train or bus, i bought an extremely expensive black cashmere coat. in the city, i needed something long and warm for walking to the train (over a mile away) or waiting for the bus (let’s face it; could be an hour some days).

(since moving to ohio, i’ve only had a few occasions to wear this beautiful coat; mostly to funerals, but i know it will last a lifetime)

anyway, i was pretty proud of this purchase and i wanted a little scarf to show off the neckline. i had 2 balls of K1C2 richesse in butterscotch burning a hole in my stash. not only that, but the yarn was an exact match for a little leather purse i also owned (so sad—i actually have a very nice work wardrobe, but no place to wear it).

so i knit the cashmere/merino/silk yumminess up in a stitch i had always dreamed of using

recognize it? i remember i had to restart it several times because i flirted with a few edgings, then finally decided the best thing was to just knit it in the one stitch and let the edges do what they will.

and the payoff was exactly what i wanted . . a little rustic, a little raggedy, and plenty of contrast to the smooth, rich black fabric of the coat.

and its simple; i just grab it when i need a little extra something at my neck and i’m good. no draping or elaborate wrapping, no long ends—it’s small enough that i could tuck it into my purse or pocket if i don’t need it, and light enough to wear inside a cardigan in place of a blouse.

so i’m going to type up a pattern for it and this will be the first in the little nothings series.
this is the kind of project i used knit while commuting; always a good conversation starter with seatmates. since i don’t commute that way any more, this kind of knitting has fallen by the wayside, but i think it’s time to revisit it.

now that my instinct is prodded though, all i can think about are these scarves. i have so may single skeins of lace- and fingering-weight yarn that would be perfect. or, if not single skeins, amounts that cannot be knit into anything more substantial.

perfect for necklines or to keep the draft off or for a nice little gift, they will make good on-the-go projects if one is tired of socks. once the two wraps are done and off my desk, i think i will start on this series; they won’t be priority pieces by any means—just a nice little side activity, and you’ll see a finished one with a pattern now and again.

yesterday, the post office dropped off a big box of mail and packages that had been held while we were away. there were five packages in it for me—five.

this must be the season when dyers everywhere are exploring new fibers and experimenting with additions for their lines. and wow—there are some great new offerings.

deb’s (above) is just one among several that have arrived from our wonderful dyeing friends.

anne has something really special right now, too. an incredibly soft artisan yarn spun just for her by her local mill, in 90/10 cormo/angora.

just look at that chubby, squooshy stuff. the texture is awesome; being millspun in small quantities from anne’s own fiber blend gives it an almost-handspun feel.
it comes in both laceweight and sportweight; the colorways pictured are: left, laceweight in wasatch; and right, sportweight in red rock.

again, the laceweight will be a wonderful choice for a little wisp of a neck thing.

ok, i think we need a little break from the yarn to cool down a bit. let’s look at what came from rachel. she and joe recently arrived home from a month in israel, and rachel brought me a few gifts from there

chocolate and spices . . . . how much do we love her? and of course, something sheepy. that little varmint was created by an artist in the market where rachel shopped; maybe it’s not exactly anatomically correct, but it’s cute.

the chocolate is divine BTW, and the spices are ones i don’t have but they smell extraordinary and i can’t wait to try them. i’m thinking indian food, though i know rachel uses them for soups and such.

i think i mentioned a while back too that the next big shawl project, which i will start in a couple of weeks will be a shawl with snow motifs . . . sort-of like the snow on cedars mitts, but more and bigger, and hopefully, with an interesting twist (if i can work that out; testing will be needed).

the yarn for it is from michelle at the sweet sheep wool shoppe, who has been playing with several dye options for “snow” yarn.

i love this one

doesn’t it look just like a snowscape at dusk? or the inside of a snowbank?

i can’t wait to see what it does in swatches—i have a good feeling about how it will streak. and working with this pale yarn in the dead light of the darkest months will be a real pleasure.
(michelle also has great yarns at her site for all sorts of lovely gift knitting; i am not allowing myself to delve too deeply over there, but if i needed something? that’s one place i would search.)

this last ball of wonderfulness is a gift from chris so that i can knit a sweater. it’s the newest fiber addition to her incredible line of yarns. it’s 100 percent BFL (blue-faced leicester) and it is offered in three weights.

here we have (i think) DK weight which is called Glory Days, in a custom colorway that chris dyed with colors of my choice.

gimme plum, baby.
and anything else that “goes”. there is lots of yardage here, and the fiber takes dye with an intensity that reminds me of her Abundance yarn. yet another gorgeous single-breed yarn in her collection.

the bulky version will be called Robusta, and there is a worsted singles called Pilgrim, so look for these soon at the briar rose site.

now tomorrow we need to have a serious talk about . . .AHHHGGHH . . . christmas knitting.
you would be correct in assuming that, since i haven’t mentioned holiday knitting at all, i haven’t started any.
so, as usual, i am way behind.

in the meantime remember:

chocolate is good for you.

58 thoughts on “little nothings

  1. You’ve got me drooling like a newborn baby with all those gorgeous yarns. Don’t you know it’s the holidays? I should be focusing on gift giving! And I want those yarns all for myself!

  2. I LOVE the idea of your little nothings series! When I’ve been looking for scarf patterns lately, that’s the type of thing that I’ve been looking for but haven’t been finding. And I just haven’t had or taken the time to pull out my stitch books and come up with my own. I look forward to the patterns.

  3. I love that little scarf. It’s so simple yet elegant. What did you say … raggedy, that is just the perfect word for it!

  4. You are one busy, in-demand gal! Although I don’t care for scarves, I’m looking forward to watching your “little nothings” line develop.

  5. That concrete lace picture is so darn cool! Now I too can see lace everywhere :)Now I must attempt to design something – I want goodies in the mail too. Drool. Well actually no – some things are better left to the pros 🙂 but I can dream darn it! 🙂

  6. Morning glory? And I haven’t even knitted it yet – a post Christmas task. The Sweet Nothings are such a good idea! And of course YUM on all the yarn. Love that green thumb!

  7. I love that scarf, I actually meant to ask you about it when you posted irtfa’a. I love the idea of a little nothings series, and I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

    I’m drooling over the Wooley Wonka and Sweet Sheep yarns.

  8. I’m a “newby” to all this (yarn,knitting,being creative) and am still in the “corporate life” but self-employed so it’s just a joy to access your blog and dream of what is to come!
    THANKS – I LOVE the notion of the little nothing series, especially as a new knitter.

    Many thanks and many blessings!

  9. I second (or, based on the comments above, ninth) the little nothing series. That’s a great scarf, and exactly right, as you say, for giving or just carrying around. It can’t be socks *all* the time (I can’t believe I’m saying that!) 🙂

  10. Holy crap I love that Snow Squall yarn!! I can’t wait to see what you turn it into. I’m jealous that people just mail you yarn. I need to be friends with your friends. 😉

  11. The little nothing series will be a big hit I’m sure ! And packages with new yarn are always sooo exiciting 🙂 A bit of sniffing, fondling and dreaming, I love it !
    Nice to see Morning Glory back !

  12. Yes to the little nothings. Even in the summer I like to tuck a small scarf into by pocket or bag when we head out to dinner–I really hate a cold draft on my neck.

    We are in Florida for a few days for a family wedding and I packed two shawls, one light and one heavy because of my fear of too cold air conditioning.

    Kathleen

  13. I am SO glad you are going ahead with typing up that scarf pattern. I LOVE it. I noticed the minute I looked at the shawl picture. (the color may have had something to do with that, I’ll admit..LOL).

    Yummy gifts and that yarn from Chris is perfect! I can barely wait to dive into my Briar Rose yarn

  14. Oh! – thank you for picturing the yarn – I don’t even have it posted for sale yet, but folks can email if they want some.

    Do you just make a big pile of all your yarn and sometimes roll around in it? I bet I would love to go browsing through your stash closet. You know…. with a nice hot cup of “Addiction” to round out the theme of the day. 🙂

  15. i thought that scarf had a ‘familiar’ look to it! i love the idea of a ‘little nothings’ series – a way to get a quick lace fix when there’s not time for a big thing (because of all the unmentioned wip’s of course…)

    …i don’t know what’s worse though – you showing off all your tempting projects or all your tempting yarns. (and we shan’t even mention the chocolate. we’re trying very strongly not to think of the chocolate.)

  16. The Little Nothings idea is brilliant! There seems to be a wave of scarf knitting lately–possibly because of the Holidays–and a lace scarf would be a good place for me to start lace knitting.

  17. You wouldn’t happen to be planning an oak-leaf-like lace thing any time soon, would you?

    I love leaf imprints. That’s actually what I stopped to photograph on my way to work today…

  18. That little nothing would solve several Christmas gift problems I have…if the pattern is forthcoming soonish. (No pressure or anything!)

  19. Of course chocolate is good for you are there people who think otherwise?! Love the little scarf, I will be happy to see little gems springing up on the blog. All of the yarn is glorious. You may have a good work wardrobe but working from home on knitting means you get so much beautiful yarn. I know which I would prefer. Enjoy it all!

  20. My first lace project was a small alpaca scarf that I knit to go with a strapless formal dress. I wear it all the time now, it’s perfect when I just need to be a little warmer, but it’s getting ratty-can’t wait to see what you come up with!
    And snowflakes? One of my favorite things ever. Can’t wait to see that design-the yarn is lovely

  21. Looking forward to the Little Nothings!

    The “snow” yarn really caught my eye. I grew up in Wisconsin, and my dad called dusk when the snow (and everything else) took on a bluish cast the Blue Hour. Christmas Eve did not start until the Blue Hour. It was a good thing for my brother and me that we lived in a northern latitude! It was nice your post reminded me of that.

  22. The leaf-prints on the stone (concrete) look like they have been sprayed there! Isn’t nature just so perfect in it’s composure of a scene? I’m so glad you shared that picture… it’s so beautiful.

    Thank you in advance for sharing the pattern for your “little nothing” scarf! 🙂 I look forward to more!

    Yay!

  23. Not so long ago a physician told me the opposite 🙁
    So, who should I believe?

    Coming to your blog after a rain of packages that hit it, is dangerous indeed and just before gifts season, oy! 🙂

  24. I noticed that little scarf too, I love that color butterscotch. I recognized it right off 😉 I’m just swooning here over all that yarny goodness you flaunted today. I’m almost totally converted to wool I’m afraid! I used to like other stuff better, um shall we say the tide has certainly turned.

  25. Your “Little Nothing” would be a big project for me. I love the leaf imprints on the concrete. Your new yarns are tempting… right now I’m trying to de-stash, but looking at this makes it difficult. That is a unique chocolate label.

  26. So much loveliness in that post! The leaf imprints, the little nothing, the things to come… Michelle perfectly captured the colors of the snow in her yarn. What you’ll create from it will certainly be gorgeous, as always!

  27. I love the leaf imprints. And the idea of the little nothings series—just perfect. I’m so glad you’re going to write up the pattern for the little richesse scarf. As for all those tempting yarns, I just keep telling myself the stash is bulging at the seams already…!

  28. This post gives new meaning to the term “pron” – I now have to go rehydrate, because my salivary glands have gone into overdrive. LOL!

  29. I was just about to make some lunch but somehow I don’t feel hungry any more; is that what they call a yarn diet? Works for me!!
    Looking forward to the little nothings series, all those single skeins and bits of hand spun that I have never known what to do with will be perfect.

  30. Hey! I thought I told you to settle down over there!! I can’t keep up with you!!! You are amazing. I love, love, love, the the Little Nothings idea! You need to include some rag-a-muffin design in it, too! As you said, “Torn from a lace curtain. . . .” I can picture something less elegant–that I would love just as much as your gorgeous lace ones! The picture at the beginning of your post is wonderful. I see things like that too. Yes! Hurry and get the pattern written for us! I can’t wait. You’re the best, Anne!

  31. the little nothings will also be good for those lace novices like me who don’t want to knit a huge stole! 🙂 looks like you will be busy busy! the snow squall yarn is beautiful – just the perfect hint of blue!

  32. I have so many single skeins sock yarn that I can’t bear to make into socks & smallish skeins of lace yarn that I haven’t figured out what to do with, I love the idea of the little nothings – of course, I might just have to splurge on a skein of Fearless Fiber cashmere to make one of those little nothings, that would be divine…

  33. Little “nothings?” I call them Little Somethings! Somethings sweet! YEAH – I am in love with the idea and can’t wait, hon!
    And that snow yarn is gorgeous…
    (((hugs)))

  34. I am ridiculously excited about that scarf! It would be amazing in very fine, soft handspun. Alpaca, llama, something really soft and lovely like that… of course I can’t spin that fine yet so I’ll have to go commercial. 😉

    And I really like the “little nothings” idea, except I agree with knitnana that “little somethings” is more like it. 🙂

  35. Seems we all noticed that little scarf. It’s that just right size. Love the concept of the Little Nothings, as small projects have really been on my mind lately. All those single skeins, and precious fibers, and bits of handspun will have a new purpose.

  36. I have 2 balls of Richesse which I will put aside for the scarf- can’t wait for the pattern to be posted. And I love the snow squall colorway- you pegged the description perfectly! Of course Deb and Chris’s yarns are drool-worthy too.

  37. Ooh! Ooh! What Naomi said! Oak leaves, maple leaves, any leafy lace is a Very Good Thing(TM)!
    Thank you for the leaf imprints on the rock, I’ve never seen anything like that. What a lovely thing.

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